This role owns Uppsalahem’s environmental sustainability agenda for the day to day running of its housing stock. You keep the ISO 14001 management system alive, follow environmental law and industry practice, and turn sustainability goals into projects that colleagues in property management can actually carry out.
The focus areas are concrete: chemical management, waste and resource efficiency, climate adaptation and biodiversity. Because Uppsalahem manages around 18,000 apartments across Uppsala, decisions about materials, outdoor spaces and energy use touch thousands of tenants. This is a chance to shape what a greener housing company looks like in practice, not just on paper.
This suits someone who has worked with environmental coordination or sustainability in a larger organization, is comfortable in a supporting role with many contact points, and can explain environmental rules in plain Swedish to colleagues who are not specialists.
Job FAQs
What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?
The main mission is to develop, coordinate and drive Uppsalahem's ecological sustainability work, with particular weight on the property management side of the business. Day to day this means maintaining and improving the environmental management system, updating governing documents, and preparing activities linked to the ISO 14001 certification such as management reviews and internal and external audits.
You would also lead or take part in internal and external development projects, monitor environmental legislation and authority decisions, and act as the coordinating contact person towards agencies, companies and organizations. Communication is a large part of the job: you make sure employees receive current environmental training and you keep environmental content updated in the tenant magazine, website, social media and the annual sustainability report.
Longer term, the role strengthens Uppsalahem's ability to reduce its environmental impact and to be a responsible community actor, turning sustainability goals into concrete activities and development efforts together with property management and other parts of the organization.
Key learning opportunities for this job
The role offers hands-on experience with an ISO 14001 certified management system, from management reviews to internal and external audits, which is valuable for anyone building a career in environmental management. You would deepen your knowledge of chemical management, waste and resource efficiency, climate adaptation and biodiversity as they apply to real estate.
Because the position involves law and authority monitoring, you would likely become well versed in Swedish environmental regulation for the property sector. Project work, both internal and external, gives exposure to how sustainability initiatives are planned and delivered across a large organization.
Communication and training responsibilities also develop your ability to translate complex environmental information for non-specialists, a skill that transfers to almost any sustainability role.
How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?
The ideal candidate has a university or college degree in sustainable development with an environmental focus, or an equivalent education, plus previous experience as a sustainability specialist, environmental coordinator, environmental strategist or similar. Very good spoken and written Swedish is required, since the role communicates and trains in Swedish.
Experience from the real estate or community building sector is meritorious, as is work with environmental management and ISO 14001. Experience of a comparable role in a similar context is also an advantage.
On the personal side, Uppsalahem looks for someone structured, analytical and with a good overall perspective. You should be a strong collaborator who enjoys a supporting role with many contact points, driven by creating structure, developing ways of working and contributing to real change. Being pedagogical and communicative, able to make complex information understandable, matters greatly.
Advice to stand out and make a successful application
Tailor your application to Uppsalahem's specific focus areas rather than sending a generic sustainability CV. Highlight concrete experience with ISO 14001, environmental management systems, chemical management, waste or climate adaptation, and use examples that show you have worked in an operational, supporting capacity rather than only in strategy.
Because the role requires very good Swedish, write your application in Swedish and show that you can explain environmental topics clearly. If you have real estate, construction or community building experience, make that prominent, since it is listed as meritorious.
Prepare for interviews by reading Uppsalahem's sustainability report and understanding its goal of being Uppsala's greenest housing company. Be ready to discuss how you would turn environmental goals into activities that property management colleagues can adopt, and show familiarity with the auditor and authority contact side of the role. The company reviews applications continuously, so apply early.
What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?
The role concentrates on ecological sustainability within Uppsalahem's property management operations, so the main focus areas are climate adaptation, biodiversity, chemical management, waste and resource efficiency. These are operational topics tied to how buildings and outdoor areas are maintained and improved.
The ISO 14001 management system is central, and you would keep it updated and ready for internal and external audits. Law and authority monitoring also matters, since environmental rules for real estate are tightening.
Reporting is another thread: you would contribute environmental content to Uppsalahem's annual sustainability report and external communication. The social side of sustainability, such as tenant well-being, sits more with other functions, though greener outdoor environments connect to it.
What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?
A central challenge is that this is a supporting role in a large operational organization. Property management teams have their own daily pressures, so getting environmental priorities onto their agenda and keeping them there requires patience and strong communication skills.
Keeping up with environmental legislation is another ongoing task, since rules on chemicals, waste and climate adaptation keep changing and the role is responsible for monitoring them. Balancing specialist depth with a strategic overview across many topics is demanding.
Uppsalahem's stated goal of being Uppsala's greenest housing company sets expectations. Turning that ambition into measurable improvements in a stock of around 18,000 apartments, where the company does not control every tenant behavior, is a long term effort rather than a quick win.
How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?
A typical day could start with a check on incoming environmental legislation and industry news, since keeping track of regulations is a core part of the role. You might then join a project meeting with property management colleagues on a resource efficiency or waste initiative, or review documents ahead of an internal ISO 14001 audit.
Other parts of the week involve updating governing documents, preparing environmental training for staff, and answering questions from colleagues or authorities on chemical management or compliance. You could also spend time drafting content for the annual sustainability report or the tenant magazine.
The role likely has a predictable Monday to Friday rhythm, with peaks around audits, management reviews and reporting deadlines.
What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?
This role sits close to the sustainability manager and covers a broad set of environmental topics, which gives visibility across the whole organization. That breadth can support a later move into a more senior specialist or management position, either within Uppsalahem or elsewhere in the real estate sector.
Leading or participating in development projects builds a track record of delivery, and the ISO 14001 audit work provides recognized environmental management experience. Communication tasks, such as contributing to the annual sustainability report, add reporting experience that is in demand.
Uppsalahem also mentions trainee and thesis opportunities and a large summer staff, suggesting a culture that invests in development, though concrete promotion paths for this specific role are not spelled out in the posting.
The main stakeholders you might be interacting with
The closest working relationship is with the sustainability manager, who leads the function and to whom this role likely reports. You would also work across the organization with property management teams, maintenance staff and other colleagues who need environmental advice, training or project support.
Externally, the role is the coordinating contact towards authorities, companies and organizations in environmental matters, which means contact with regulators, suppliers and possibly industry bodies. You may also interact with auditors during ISO 14001 internal and external audits.
Communication work brings in colleagues responsible for the tenant magazine, website, social media and the annual sustainability report, so cooperation with communications and finance functions is likely.
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